Roth ledes Jujamcyn Theaters

Among the major Broadway owners, he's the youngest

Producer Jordan Roth has taken the reins of Broadway theater group Jujamcyn Theaters, stepping up to the post of prexy and acquiring an ownership stake in the private company.

He will succeed Rocco Landesman, recently confirmed as head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The move came as a surprise to few in the industry, since Roth seemed the most likely internal candidate to fill Landesman’s shoes. He joined the org in 2005 and became VP a year later.

At 33, he becomes the youngest topper of one of the three major Broadway theater owner-operators — the other two being the Shubert Org and the Nederlander Org. Of those, Jujamcyn runs the smallest number of Rialto venues, with five stages vs. 17 for the Shuberts and nine for the Nederlanders.

Still, the position reps a boost in industry prominence for Roth at a time when legiters have expressed concerns about who would serve as a public advocate for Broadway following the 2008 death of Gerald Schoenfeld, who was head of the Shubert Org and the de facto industry spokesman.

Paul Libin, another major player in the running of Jujamcyn, remains on board as producing director, with Jack Viertel continuing as creative director.

Roth bought a 50% interest in Jujamcyn at an undisclosed pricetag.

“Spring Awakening” and “Hair” are among the offerings to play the company’s venues during his tenure, as well as “A Catered Affair,” the Roth-produced tuner that proved a commercial disappointment. Roth says he hopes to continue Jujamcyn’s history of taking risks on shows that have included “Angels in America” and “Big River.”